


to my future self

by chidorinnn



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-05
Updated: 2016-02-06
Packaged: 2018-03-29 02:45:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3879193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chidorinnn/pseuds/chidorinnn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two days after she graduates from the Academy, Sakura receives a letter written to herself from twenty years in the future. Future Sakura warns that Sasuke will leave everyone, leading her to live a life filled with regret, and asks Sakura in the present to watch over Sasuke closely.</p><p>Based off of Takano Ichigo's manga "Orange"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The letter comes without warning, falling into her life out of her weapons pouch two days after graduation.

She wonders for all of two seconds why she’d keep something like this in her weapons pouch, of all places, before she sees the name “Sakura Haruno” written neatly at the center of the envelope. And then, there’s confusion. Where could this letter of have come from? Who sent it?

Naruto leans toward her from her right. Most of the bruises from the beating he’d received at the hands of his female classmates are gone now. “Whatchya got there, Sakura-chan?”

“Nothing!” she snaps back, before she remembers that Sasuke’s sitting on her other side. “Ah…” She waits until Naruto isn’t peering her shoulder – Sasuke isn’t paying attention at all, and for once, she’s thankful – before opening the envelope.

Several pages are clipped together, folded neatly so that it can fit in the envelope. 

_“To my past self – have you been well? I’m writing this to you from twenty years in the future. I bet you’re wondering why I’m writing to you at all, but there’s something I need to ask of you, no matter what.”_

It has to be a prank, she quickly surmises. If not a prank, then some oddly sentimental gesture from Dad – he’s always been especially fond of those. 

_“In this letter, I’ll tell you everything that happened to me from the moment I got assigned to Team Seven. Please follow along, and don’t make the same mistakes I did.”_

Yup, definitely Dad. The handwriting isn’t neat enough to be his, though – maybe one of the workers at the store wrote it?

_“All new genin graduating from the Academy are placed in three-person units. Traditionally, the two students who ranked the highest on the final exam are placed in a team with the person who ranked the lowest. Your written scores put you at second place overall, so you will be placed on a team with Sasuke Uchiha, who ranked first, and Naruto Uzumaki, who ranked last.”_

“Team Seven,” Iruka-sensei calls from the front of the class. “Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha.”

Her hands start to shake. She reads through the first couple of paragraphs again, word for word, as if they’ll say something different if she reads through it again – but no. The letter still says that she’ll be placed on a team with Naruto and Sasuke – and she  _did_.

“No way…” she whispers, too shocked to be dismayed or elated or however she’s supposed to feel about being placed on a team with her crush and the most irritating person in the village. Sasuke looks in her direction from the corner of his eye, as cool and impassive as ever.

 _It’s just a coincidence_ , Sakura tells herself, and it’s this thought that keeps her going until lunch. She only pulls the letter out again when she’s alone, sitting on a bench close to the village gates. “If this letter is for real…” she says quietly to herself as she weighs the envelope in her hands, “… then that means it’ll tell me the future.”

The thought of ripping off a bandage comes to mind when she finally opens the envelope again. The clean script stares back at her, not quite mockingly but in a manner that unnerves her.

_“You’ll eat lunch by yourself. Naruto will come up to you, transformed as Sasuke-kun, and compliment you.”_

Sure enough, when she looks up, Sasuke stands with his back to a tree across from her, smirking.  _But if what the letter says is true, then that’s really Naruto…_

And then, there’s irritation. Perhaps she shouldn’t be so harsh, but she’s too exasperated to care. Naruto’s caused enough problems for her for the day, and he’s going to for however long they’ll be on a team together – she has every right to glare at him. 

It’s enough to send him running – or maybe not, given the way he’s clutching his stomach. Sakura sighs harshly and continues to read.

_“And then, Sasuke-kun will come up to you for real. He’ll ask you where Naruto is. To divert his attention to you, you’ll say that Naruto always causes trouble because he doesn’t have any parents to tell him otherwise. But I hope you won’t say this – it’ll hurt Sasuke-kun.”_

“Sakura.”

“S-Sasuke-kun!” she shrieks in response.  _Just like the letter said…_  “Wh-What are you doing here?”

“Where’s Naruto?” he demands. His eyes are cold, angry.

She bows her head and clutches the letter tightly in her hands. “I don’t know.”

Sasuke turns his head away, glaring at nothing in particular. He doesn’t say anything more, and she looks down at the letter one last time, not entirely trusting herself to speak. Despite the clean, almost monotonous script, the words are heavy, sorrowful, and Sakura can feel the beginnings of tears at the prospect of the future the letter holds.

She takes a deep breath and stands. “I’ll help you look for him.” Sasuke turns to look at her, but he doesn’t say anything in response. “We need to go back to the Academy soon, anyway.”

His head dips into a nod, and he grunts in affirmation. Sakura smiles quietly to herself and rubs her slightly wet eyes.  _To my future self… everything’s going to be okay. You’ll see._

She neatly folds the letter and places it back into the envelope. Sasuke doesn’t ask what the letter is, but it’s a good thing because she doesn’t think she can explain.

_“I suppose I should tell you why I’m writing this letter, shouldn’t I? The thirty-two-year-old me walked away with many, many regrets. I don’t want the twelve-year-old me to be burdened with a lifetime of regret._

_“But even my regrets pale in comparison to the pain that Sasuke-kun has had to endure. Now, twenty years in the future, Sasuke-kun has left us._

_“Please don’t let the important things go so easily. And please, watch over Sasuke-kun closely.”_

* * *

Twenty years in the future, twelve years after the war, Sakura Uchiha hung laundry on a clothesline outside her newest house. She smiled wistfully to herself and rubbed her forehead with two fingers, where Sasuke had poked her before he’d left, the last time.

“I’m home!” Sarada called from the front of the house.

Unlike her former master, Sakura could concede that she was getting old, but she wasn’t so old that her instincts had gone dull. She could tell that something was wrong – Sarada’s tone sounded too forced, too strained. “Welcome home,” she said anyway, because Sarada would tell her in no uncertain terms if something was wrong. She was blunt like that – just like her father.

“Mom,” Sarada said, her eyebrows knotting together in a too familiar frown.

“Did he wear glasses?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm taking some liberties with basically everyone's characterization in this. Sakura's smarty-pants attitude shall be more pronounced in this, as will Sasuke's PTSD, since both were barely touched upon in canon.
> 
> Enjoy...?

_“Kakashi-sensei will show up a full two hours late. Get used to it, because he’ll be late every single day. Naruto will prank him with a chalkboard eraser. Sensei will fall for it, and then say that he doesn’t like your team. I hope you’ll be able to talk Naruto out of it, though. Maybe, with a better first impression, Sensei will take you more seriously earlier on.”_

True to the letter’s word, Naruto stands perched precariously on the edge of a desk, trying to balance a chalkboard eraser above the door. “Can you not?” Sakura deadpans.

“It’s his own fault!” Naruto shoots back. “Makin’ us wait for so long…”

“A jounin’s not going to fall for something like that, you moron,” Sasuke mutters. He’s sitting by the window again, with his elbows resting on the table and his hands clasped before him – as cool as ever.

Naruto giggles mischievously and hopes down from the desk with a large _thunk_. “That’s what you think!”

And then, a man walks into the classroom. The chalkboard eraser falls, and the man barely even flinches at it lands on his messy silver hair.  As Naruto bursts into laughter, the man’s visible eye – the other is covered by his forehead protector, and a dark blue mask covers the rest of his face – crinkles in distaste. “So much for first impressions,” he says. “I don’t like you.”

_“He’ll take you to the rooftop._ _He’ll ask you to tell him your likes, dislikes, and dreams for the future. Kakashi-sensei will say something horribly vague that doesn’t answer the question at all. Naruto will say ramen, waiting for instant ramen to cook, and that he wants to become Hokage respectively. Sasuke-kun won’t answer the first two questions, but he’ll reveal that there is a certain man that he wants to kill in the future. I’ll tell you more about his goal later._

_“You won’t say anything about your likes and your dreams for the future, but you’ll imply that it has a lot to do with Sasuke-kun. I hope you won’t, though. Maybe, if you tell Kakashi something more relevant to being a ninja, he’ll take you more seriously.”_

The letter had predicted everything up to this point – so perhaps it really is best to follow its advice.

“So,” Kakashi says dully, crossing one leg over the other. “Tell me about yourselves. Your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future… stuff like that.”

“Um…” Sakura says slowly. “Why don’t you go first, Sensei? That way, we can see how it’s done.”

Kakashi shrugs, nonchalant. “All right. I’m Kakashe Hatake. I like some things… don’t like some other things… and I don’t really have any future plans.” Naruto and Sasuke bristle on either side of her. “Next?”

Naruto then waves his arm excitedly in the air. “I’ll go!” he volunteers. “I’m Naruto Uzumaki! I really like eating ramen, and I don’t like waiting two minutes for the ramen to cook when you make it. As for dreams for the future… I want to be Hokage!”

Sasuke stares at him incredulously. Sakura feigns surprise, but the effect may be somewhat lost on Kakashi.

“How about you?” Kakashi asks then, looking sharply to her.

“M-Me?” Sakura splutters. Wringing her hands together nervously, she looks to Sasuke, to Kakashi, to Naruto, and then back to Sasuke. “Um…” Her mind goes blank. Sasuke’s _right there_ , but so is Kakashi, and she has to say _something_ , or else…

“Well?” Kakashi prompts.

“M-My name is Sakura Haruno!” she shouts. “I like reading and learning new things, and I don’t like being restricted from huge parts of the library because I’m not ranked high enough! I’m actually really excited that I’m a genin, because that means that there’s a whole new section I can explore now! And…” She forgot to breathe, and has to gasp for breath. It takes a few seconds to process what she’d just said, but now all she wants to do is crawl into a hole and die. What she said isn’t necessarily _untrue_ , but… where did it even come from?

“I…” she says, and her voice cracks. “As for dreams for the future… there’s… someone I need to protect.”

Kakashi’s eye narrows. “Sakura-chan…?” Naruto says slowly, hesitantly.

She doesn’t look in his direction, but she can feel Sasuke staring at her. Maybe he’s glaring at her, or maybe he thinks she’s insane – she can’t bring herself to check what it is.

“Next?” Kakashi says even more dully, only to be met with silence. “Hey.”

Sasuke startles – and isn’t that strange, because when has he ever been anything but the paragon of poise and tranquility? “My name is Sasuke Uchiha,” he says, his voice calm and purposeful, even though it seems a little forced. He’s sitting with his elbows resting on his thighs and his hands clasped together. His eyebrows are furrowed in some scary mixture of anger and concentration. “What I have isn’t a goal, but a promise – there is a certain man that I have to kill.”

No one says anything, because what can you really say to something like that? Sasuke’s expression relaxes ever so slightly as Kakashi clears his throat. “Okay then,” Kakashi says sharply. “So here’s the thing – you three haven’t passed. Not yet.”

_“He’ll ask you to come to the training grounds early the next morning for one final test. I can’t tell you what exactly you have to do for this test, but whatever you do, make sure you work together with both Naruto and Sasuke-kun, no matter what.”_

The test Kakashi gives them the next morning – more than two hours after the scheduled time, Sakura notes with irritation – is rather cruel, and she can’t help but begrudge her future self for refusing to discuss it in the letter – retrieve two bells from the jounin, and the one who fails is sent back to the Academy.

Sakura and Sasuke immediately dart for the bushes, but Naruto stands proudly in front of Kakashi, grinning cockily. “You know,” Kakashi says dryly, “you might want to follow your teammates’ example.”

Kakashi reaches into his satchel, and Sakura panics. _Wait, what? The letter never said anything about this! He’s going to…_

But all that comes out is an orange book. _You’ve gotta be kidding me._ It’s almost laughable, how Kakashi dodges each of Naruto’s wholehearted blows without even looking at him. This, she realizes, is the power of a jounin – or part of it, anyway. _So what’s going to happen when he actually starts taking us seriously…?_

The letter said to work together – and that’s pretty much the only thing the letter said about this test. So when Sakura flings a few shuriken in Kakashi’s direction from her hiding spot, its’ to give Naruto an opening to escape or get the bells or… whatever he’s going to do.

So Naruto runs – right in her direction. “No, don’t come _here_ , you idiot!” she hisses as he almost barrels into her.

“Wow, you really saved me there!” Naruto laughs a little too loudly for this to be a hiding spot for much longer. “Thanks, Sakura-chan!”

“Yeah, yeah…” she mutters. “Listen – I think we should work together.”

His face lights up. “R-Really? Oh, Sakura-chan, I’ve always—“

When he tries to hug her, she pushes him back by pressing the palm of her hand against his forehead. “All three of us, Naruto! So we’ve got to find Sasuke-kun, too!”

He huffs in annoyance. “Fine, fine.”

They part ways then, darting off in different directions. The letter may have said nothing on how to pass the test – but if anything, that means that they’re going to pass the test, regardless.

And then, all of a sudden, Sakura falls.

No, that’s not entirely accurate – it _feels_ like she’s falling, but her feet are still planted firmly on the ground. _Wait… This is…_ Her mind’s working too slowly for her to think clearly, to move quickly – to do anything, really.

And then, just a little ways in front of her, there’s Sasuke. He’s standing with his hand pressed against the trunk of a tree, his expression cold. “To hell with it all,” he says. “I’m leaving.”

“Wh-What?”

It can’t be over already. The letter was way too long, and Sakura’s still less than a page in, and Sasuke _can’t_ be leaving right now he just can’t—

“I’m leaving,” he repeats.

He turns his back to her, walking away in the opposite direction. Sakura wants to cry out – she has to – but her voice refuses to work, and even worse, she can’t think of a single thing to say. Every second Sakura spends rooted on the spot, unable to move, Sasuke gets farther and farther away.

“Sakura, snap out of it!”

Everything jolts back into focus with startling clarity. Sasuke’s hands are on her shoulders, painfully firm, and the grass digs into her knees. Her chest feels tight, and she’s sobbing – but she can’t say when she started crying in the first place.

Sasuke’s hands are still on her shoulders as she lifts her head to look at him. His face is oddly pale, and his calm expression looks too forced. “You were screaming,” he says, and his voice sounds a little strained. “You collapsed. It was just a genjutsu.” But he isn’t speaking to her – not entirely.

“A genjutsu…” she repeats. She takes a deep, shuddering breath, and begins drying her eyes. “That’s… such a stupid thing to fall for. I should’ve seen through that. I’m sorry.”

But Sasuke’s hands are still on her shoulders. For the first time, he’s a little too close, in a way that she doesn’t want him to be.

“Thank you, Sasuke-kun,” she says, and means it. “I’m fine now.”

He releases her abruptly, backing away from her as his cool, impassive mask slips back into place. “Right,” he says in a low voice.

When he turns his back to her for real this time, Sakura panics. “Don’t go!” she shouts before she can stop herself.

Sasuke stops in his tracks, turning to look at her. There’s something heavy in his eyes – something far from disdain or scorn or anything she’s ever really seen from him. “I touched one of those bells before,” he says instead. “Next time, I’ll get it for sure.”

“That’s great!” Sakura sighs in relief. “That means we actually stand a chance…” He looks at her oddly, and she elaborates. “Let’s work together.”

He turns his back to her again. “Pass.”

“Wait!” And just like before, Sasuke doesn’t move. “I mean, let’s _all_ work together. All three of us.”

Sasuke frowns. “What are you—“

“Sakura-chan!” This time, Naruto does barrel into her, and there’s no time to yell at him for it before he starts talking again. “There you are! So what’s your big, awesome plan?”

“What plan?” Sasuke asks.

“Hell yeah, she does!” Naruto says proudly. “That’s why you wanted to work together, right?”

“W-Wait a minute!” Sakura yelps. “I… that is… I mean…”

There is no plan. There was never any plan. All the letter said was to work together – and that’s why Sasuke and Naruto are both here, now.

_If my nonexistent plan is the only way to do this, then fine._

“So you know how Kakashi-sensei’s not really taking us seriously?” she asks, not entirely sure where she’s going with this.

“Yeah, he was reading that stupid porn when I went after him before…” Naruto grumbles.

“He wasn’t reading when I went for the bells,” Sasuke adds.

“Right,” Sakura says sharply. “That. That is… Yeah. We can work with that.” _What am I even doing…?_ She takes a deep breath and starts again. “So… Kakashi-sensei’s not taking us seriously. We can use that to our advantage, because he’s a jounin. The minute he _does_ start taking us seriously, we’re done for.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” Sasuke asks in a deadpan.

“Give me a minute!” Sakura snaps before she can realize that it’s _Sasuke-kun_ she’s snapping at, not Naruto. She has to force herself to stop thinking about it before she can start feeling bad. “Okay. So that means we’ve got to catch him by surprise, and it has to be something from all three of us.” She looks up, at the branches on the tree closest to them. “Naruto… yesterday, he fell for your chalkboard eraser trick.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s going to fall for something like that again,” Sasuke points out.

“It doesn’t have to be exactly like that,” Sakura says calmly. “I just need Naruto to prank him with something… something that he might actually fall for.”

Naruto grins and points proudly to himself. “I can do that! Just leave it to me!”

Sakura can’t help but smile. “Okay. And Sasuke-kun… You said that you almost managed to get the bells before, right? And Kakashi-sensei actually had to put his book down to fight you.” Sasuke nods. “So you have to distract him with that. Pretend you’re trying to get the bells again, so that Kakashi-sensei’s attention will be all on you. And if he falls for Naruto’s trap, then I can get the bells while he’s distracted.”

“So who’s going back to the Academy then?” Naruto asks.

“We can deal with that after we get the bells,” Sakura says sharply. “Now let’s go!”

When they split up this time, they don’t stray very far away from each other. Naruto amasses dozens of shadow clones to help him dig a booby trap, which he poorly conceals with a cover of leaves. “He’s not going to fall for that, idiot,” Sasuke deadpans.

“I know that!” Naruto says triumphantly. “You _thought_ that would be the main trap, but it was _this_!” He gestures wildly toward a few lumps of rotten fruit hanging from the tree above, poised to fall if Kakashi is to trip a wire surrounding the booby trap.

“That’s not going to stall him for long,” Sasuke says, “if at all.”

“That’s where you come in, Sasuke-kun,” Sakura interjects. “So… are you ready?”

Kakashi arrives just a few minutes later, staring disappointedly down at the poorly concealed booby trap Naruto had dug earlier. “You kids really need to try harder,” Kakashi mutters as he pulls out his orange book and begins to read. “How dull.”

When Sasuke charges at him then, Sakura panics. _Wait, this wasn’t part of the plan! He was supposed to…_ “Sasuke-kun!”

In the blink of an eye, Kakashi pockets the book and devotes his attention to Sasuke. He practically dances around the booby trap, while Sasuke can only barely stumble around it. When the wire is tripped, it’s Sasuke that gets pelted with rotten fruit.

But with one final lunge, Sasuke shoves Kakashi directly into the booby trap, and the jounin falls into a pit of leaves.

But ideally, Kakashi would have fallen for the trap first, and then Sasuke would have distracted him. That was what was supposed to happen – and when Sakura collects the bells from the jounin, she tells her teammates as such. “You guys didn’t follow the plan!”

“Yeah we did!” Naruto yells. “You said to trap him and attack him!”

“But he was supposed to fall for the trap _before_ Sasuke-kun—“

“You didn’t say that,” Sasuke says much too calmly.

Kakashi’s visible eye crinkles into a smile. “It’s important to be very clear when you’re giving out orders, Sakura-chan,” he says. “Well, regardless…” He stands up and dusts the leaves off. “I believe I said before that only two will pass? Who’s the _lucky_ little person going back to the Academy?” No one can say anything at that – after all, weren’t they supposed to decide _after_ getting the bells? “I’ll give you three some time to decide.”

And so, the three sit by the tree – Sakura with her knees drawn to her chest and her head resting between them, Naruto sprawled flat on the ground, and Sasuke cross-legged with his back perfectly straight. It takes more than ten minutes after Kakashi had left for anyone to speak up at all. “Someone has to go back,” Sasuke says, stating the obvious.

“Oh yeah?” Naruto shoots back. “Why don’t _you_ go back, you bastard? You screwed up the plan!”

“That’s enough, Naruto!” Sakura snaps. “And it was my fault the plan got screwed up. I didn’t give clear enough instructions, remember?”

“Someone has to go back,” Sasuke says again. “It’s not going to be me.”

“What the hell?” Naruto shouts. “What makes you think you have more of a right to be here than we do?”

Sasuke bows his head. Before his hair can entirely obscure his eyes, Sakura can almost see the same look he’d given her when she’d woken up from the genjutsu. “I can’t go back,” he said. “I…” He takes a deep breath. “The man I need to kill… he’s responsible for… for what happened to my clan.” His voice sounds too strained, and it’s obvious that he’s struggling to speak of this at all. “That’s why… That’s why I can’t go back.”

In that minute, Sakura stops thinking. She practically flies into him, wrapping her arms around him. He flails for a moment, but then goes still. He doesn’t hug her back or even lean into her touch, but he doesn’t push her away either, and that alone is enough. “You don’t have to go back,” she whispers. “We won’t make you.”

And Naruto – he doesn’t say anything in opposition, doesn’t say anything at all, and that can only be a good sign.

“So it has to be—“ Sakura starts.

But then, Kakashi poofs back into existence with a puff of smoke, the same almost taunting grin evident in his one visible, crinkled eye. “So, have you come to a consensus?” he asks.

“This is bullshit!” Naruto shouts instead.

“Naruto—“ Sakura tries to stop him.

“No!” he shouts. “You’re seriously making us _choose_ who to leave behind! Well what if we don’t _want_ to leave anyone behind?”

“Naruto—“ Sasuke sighs.

“Either we all pass, or we all go back!” Naruto declares.

All mirth is gone from Kakashi’s expression as he looks from Naruto, to Sakura, to Sasuke. “Is that your final answer?” he asks slowly, dangerously.

“Hell yeah, it is!” Naruto replies a little too enthusiastically.

Kakashi sighs heavily. “Well, it looks like I have no choice, then. You three…” And then, he smiles. “… pass.”

“Wait, what?” The words are out of Sakura’s mouth before she can stop him. “But you said… I thought… We were…”

“Those who don’t follow the rules are trash,” Kakashi says sagely, “but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. Remember that the next time someone tries to force you into something like this.”

It takes a few minutes for the shock to wear off. And then…

“Yes!” Naruto shouts, slinging one arm around Sakura and the other around Sasuke. “We did it! Let’s celebrate! I know this great place with the best ramen, and—“

“Is all you ever eat ramen?” Sasuke deadpans. “There’s a sushi place in the shopping district—“

“No way, that’s _way_ too expensive!”

“How about barbeque for a compromise?” Sakura suggests.

“Sensei’s treat!” Naruto shouts.

“Hey, wait just a minute…” Kakashi protests halfheartedly in a way that suggests that, yes, he is definitely going to pay for their celebration meal.

_“I’m so sorry I can’t be more specific with this. It’s just that I don’t want this letter to get confiscated because it contains too much confidential information. This is some torch I’m passing you, my past self, but I know you can do it. Make sure you treasure every moment you spend with your teammates._

_“But for now, congratulations on becoming a genin. I’m so, so proud of you.”_

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Ino and a healthy dose of reality.

_“To my past self, I hope you are well. Your new duties as a genin will keep you very busy, no doubt, though I ask – selfishly, I might add – that you treasure every moment._

_"I have some suggestions that will make things easier, should you decide to take them. First, cut your hair. I know about the rumor that says that Sasuke-kun prefers girls with long hair, but to be honest, long hair is a hassle to maintain. It’s also a hindrance, and even today, Sasuke-kun absolutely hates hindrances._

_"Second… Well, this isn’t a suggestion so much as a warning. Know that every single one of your actions has an impact on the people closest to you. Even the most selfless actions can hurt the people you love._

_"I feel like I haven't been entirely honest with you, my past self. You see, more than Sasuke-kun, this letter is for a very special little girl named_ Sarada _. I've been weak and so, so foolish, and I'm afraid I've hurt her very badly with my selfishness and despair._

_"I don't expect that this letter or anything else that I do will earn the slightest bit of forgiveness from her -- but I do want to prevent the mistakes I've made for which she has suffered. That girl needs her father -- which is why it's so, so important that you save Sasuke-kun."_

Sakura stops, clutching the letter tightly. Villagers snap at her for blocking the street, but she can't bring herself to care. Sarada, Sasuke's daughter... she's suffering, in the future. Does this mean that Sasuke will die? Does this mean that he'll abandon her like he'll supposedly abandon the village? There's no _way_ he would do that -- but does she really know him well enough to make that assessment?

_I have to save him. I have to..._

It's impossible, she reasons -- after all, the past can't be changed, and no matter how well her future self claims to know Sasuke, there's no way she can know exactly what he's going to do.

Sakura jumps and shrieks when a pair of hands lands on her shoulders. "Jeez," Ino grumbles behind her. "Aren't you supposed to be a ninja?"

"Ino..." Sakura says slowly, swallowing against the lump in her throat. Though she wills herself not to cry, tears pour from her eyes, and she chokes on sobs. The letter falls from her hands in her rush to dry her tears and compose herself.

"Hey, what...?" Ino starts, lifting her hands and backing away.

"Nothing," Sakura splutters, hiccuping. Because this is Ino, who only cares about her popularity and winning Sasuke's affection, whom Sakura is supposed to fight. "Absolutely nothing."

Ino frowns. "That's bullshit, and you know it." She bends down to pick up the letter. "Okay, let's just... _What the hell is this?_ "

They end up in the back room of the Yamanakas' flower shop a few minutes later, Sakura blowing her nose into a handkerchief and Ino scanning the letter. "Where did you even get this?" Ino asks when she folds the letter closed after she's finished reading through it.

"I found it the day we got team assignments," Sakura answers with a tiny sniffle. "I thought it was just a prank at first, but then everything it said about Sasuke-kun was spot on and everything started coming _true_..."

"But a whole letter from your future self, trying to change the past?" Ino says incredulously. "That's insane!"

"You think I don't know that?" Sakura shoots back. "But what else am I supposed to do? If this letter's telling the truth, then Sasuke-kun will..."

Ino sighs and hands the letter back to Sakura. "Listen... You shouldn't take everything this letter says so seriously. It could be a trap."

Sakura flips the letter over idly. "Really? You think so?"

"It's too convenient," Ino elaborates. "A letter just randomly shows up, telling you everything that's going to happen and how to change it? It's weird."

"It's not like it's telling me _everything_ \--"

“That just makes it even more suspicious!” Ino sighs again and puts her hands on Sakura’s shoulders. “Listen, Sakura. There are some things you absolutely have to know if you’re gonna be on a team with Sasuke-kun. Clan stuff.”

“What does his clan have to do with any of this?”

“Sakura, his clan has _everything_ to do with this,” Ino says seriously. “Sasuke-kun’s one of the last two living members of the Uchiha clan, right? The only other Uchiha alive is psychotic and crazy strong, and even thinking of fighting him is a death sentence. So all those crazy foreigners who want to get their hands on the Uchiha clan’s secrets? They’ll _all_ be after Sasuke-kun. All of them.”

The thought of Sasuke -- her brave, strong Sasuke-kun -- getting kidnapped and even killed because of his clan... it’s too much to bear. “Would they really do that?”

“Not yet with Sasuke-kun,” Ino replies. “According to my dad -- and you can’t tell this to _anyone_ \-- the village and the clans kind of have him on a tight leash, even if it doesn’t look like it from the outside. But it _has_ happened before, clan kids getting kidnapped for their clans’ abilities. Can’t tell you any more than that, though.”

Sakura clutches the letter so tightly in her hands that she almost crumples it. “So you’re saying that the person who wrote this... so that I can lead Sasuke-kun to them?”

“I’m saying it’s a possibility,” Ino clarifies. “But the handwriting’s similar to yours, and... I don’t know. It’s weird. Just be careful, okay?”

Sakura gently places the letter back into its envelope and back into her satchel. “Thanks, Ino.”

Ino’s grin is so wide, it’s as if they never fought in the first place. “It’s no problem at all! Besides -- there’s no reason for us to fight over Sasuke-kun anymore. If what that letter says is true, then you’ll win.”

Sakura stops. “What do you mean?”

She doesn’t like the smirk that spreads across Ino’s face. “Weren’t _you_ supposed to be the smart one?” She leans in close, and whispers in Sakura’s ear: “Sa-ra-da.”

Oh. _Oh._  “Wh-What? B-But she’s... she’s Sasuke-kun’s... She can’t be...”

With her thumb and middle finger, Ino flicks Sakura on the forehead. “But don’t get too cocky, Forehead. Having a kid with Sasuke-kun means nothing if that kid is miserable.”

And it’s the thought of that kid alone that makes it impossible to feel happy that Sasuke will one day love her back. “I must’ve done something really horrible, if changing the past is the only way for future me to make things right...”

Ino shrugs. “I wouldn’t think about it too much, if I were you,” she says a little too casually. “You haven’t done anything _yet_. The future can still be changed, if this letter’s real.”

“But what if it changes so that Sarada doesn’t exist?”

“No,” Ino says sharply. “Don’t think about that, or you won’t be able to fix anything.” She smiles again, but it doesn’t put Sakura at ease like it’s supposed to. “So, about that haircut future you wants you to get...”

* * *

“Okay,” Naruto says excitedly as he slides into a set at Ichiraku’s ramen stand so quickly that he almost falls out from the other end. “Prepare to have your minds blown.”

“Is all you ever eat ramen?” Sasuke deadpans, though he looks less irritated than usual.

Sakura brushes a few loose strands of now (tragically) short hair behind her ear, officially having given up trying to make an impression on Sasuke with it -- after all, not even Naruto’s screaming when she arrived at the training grounds that morning earned a reaction from Sasuke concerning her hair. “It shouldn’t be,” she says. “That much salt is really bad for you.” The letter may say that she’s going to be a mother one day, but Sakura would like to think that she isn’t there already. _It’s practice for Sarada_ , she tells herself, like she’s been saying the entire day.

Sasuke gives a tiny little huff that Sakura thinks is supposed to be a laugh, and this, she thinks, makes it all worth it.

“She’s right, Naruto,” Kakashi says in that lecturing tone of his. “Now that you three are genin, you’re going to need to start taking your health and training more seriously.”

The comment goes over Naruto’s head as he orders for all four of them. "Yeah, yeah, so when are you gonna teach us badass techniques?” Naruto asks impatiently. 

“About that...” Kakashi fingers his mask, catching the blue cloth between two fingers. “We’re going to focus on training instead of missions tomorrow, so I want you three to bring your weapons of choice. Or...” He releases the mask and looks upward. “It doesn’t have to be weapons, I suppose. Things that would help you with your training in general.”

“Yes!” Naruto cheers. “Finally!”

“It’s not going to be easy, Naruto,” Sakura points out.

“I know that! It doesn’t mean anything if it’s _easy_ , ya know.”

Sakura thinks back to the letter, to her future self, to her daughter who doesn’t even exist yet -- and might not ever exist, if she messes this up or does too well -- and can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

The old man behind the counter lays four bowls out in front of them. Kakashi’s is empty before Sakura can even split her chopsticks. “Let’s eat!” Naruto says excitedly.

And Sasuke -- Sasuke doesn’t quite smile, but the tenseness is gone from his shoulders, and he doesn’t look angry or upset. _This is a good thing, right?_ Sakura wonders. _He’s not so upset that he feels like he has to leave._

But they haven’t even been on a team for a full week yet, she quickly reminds herself, and the letter has more than ten more pages. Something is going to happen sooner or later that will drive Sasuke over the edge, no matter how content he might look now, and when that time comes, Sakura’s -- and Sarada’s -- future is set.

She dips her head close to the steaming bowl of ramen to give herself an excuse for her eyes to water.

* * *

When Sakura woke up with a broken fever and Shizune by her bedside, the last thing she expected was for her daughter to leave the village to get what Sakura wouldn’t give her easily.

_Like father like daughter, I suppose..._

“Honestly, that daughter of mine...”

“Can you blame her, though?” Shizune asked. “None of this is her fault, Sakura. I know you know that, but I don’t think Sarada does.”

Sakura let her head fall into her hands. “I know. I’m such an idiot...”

“You need to make this right,” Shizune said, stating the obvious.

“I know,” Sakura said again. “Listen, Shizune-senpai... I need to ask you for a huge favor.”

Shizune nodded, her expression serious. “I’m listening.”

Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I need you to research the properties of space-time ninjutsu for me.”


	4. Chapter 4

Pain cracks against her back for the third time since they started training, and Sakura wants to scream.

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto yells from her right. His face is one with the dirt as he somehow stands on his head, leaning against the marred tree for support. “How do you do this thing?”

“What’re you asking _me_ for?” she shouts back. “I can’t get to the top either!”

On her left, Sasuke charges up the tree again, his eyebrows furrowed in determination. He makes it up four steps – to Naruto’s two and Sakura’s seven – and grunts in something akin to frustration and effort as he slices his knife across the tree trunk before falling. He doesn’t land quite as clumsily as Sakura and Naruto did – he lands in a perch, his free hand pressed against the ground as he balances gracefully on the balls of his feet.

Kakashi waves at them from the highest branch of Sakura’s tree and smiles. “Keep going!” he says a little too cheerfully before bringing his orange book up to cover his face.

The objective of this training exercise is simple, or so Kakashi would have them believe – to develop a more precise control over chakra, the genin need to climb the trees before them not by using their arms, but by running up the tree by focusing their chakra on their feet. It’s simple in theory – focus a small bit of chakra on your feet and _run_. Not too much, or you’ll damage the tree and destroy your foothold, and not too little, or you won’t stick at all.

Sakura sighs exasperatedly and stands up, dusting her clothes. For the first time, she appreciates her now short hair – long hair would’ve been impossible to maintain during this exercise. “Okay,” she says slowly, cracking her knuckles. “Okay. Focus chakra on your feet…”

“Yeah, I know, but how?” Naruto asks.

“Shut _up_ , Naruto!” Sasuke hisses.

“Guys, please,” Sakura says sharply. “Okay… I’m going to try something. You guys watch and tell me what I’m doing wrong.”

“So we’re supposed to just wait here while you complete the exercise,” Sasuke says, frowning at her.

“Please?” she replies. “I promise, I’ll tell you exactly what to do if this works.”

“Yeah!” Naruto agrees. “We’re supposed to be a team, remember?”

Sasuke shrugs. “I guess.”

“Okay,” Sakura sighs. “So… here goes.”

She places one foot flat against the tree trunk. She has to close her eyes to visualize her chakra flowing into her foot, but once she does, the tree feels more secure and solid, and it’s easier to shift her perception of the ground from the dirt beneath her to the tree itself. Then she pushes off, holding her hands out straight to the sides to balance, and places her other foot in front, nudging her chakra toward it.

“Can you guys feel how much chakra I’m using?” she asks, and she nearly stumbles before she readjusts her grip on her chakra. “It’s probably easier for me since I don’t have as much chakra, but…” Another step forward, and she feels less like she’s going to fall. “It’s like… if you think of chakra like it’s a liquid, then you only focus… maybe a teacup’s worth of it onto your foot. It’s easier if you kind of wrap it around your _entire_ foot, too.”

Four more steps, and she’s at her previous record. “I know Kakashi-sensei said it’s easier to just run up the tree, but we were going about it all wrong. It’s not a test of _speed_ , it’s a test of _control_. If you try to rush through it, then you’ll start getting careless, and you won’t be able to focus your chakra accurately like you’re supposed to.” Two more steps. “If you take it slow, you have to do it for longer, but…” Three more steps. “But you’ll have better _control_. And that matters more than speed.”

And then, as she takes one more step, her foot meets air. Sakura’s eyes fly open as she’s greeted with the sky instead of a tree trunk, and she flails her arms helplessly in a desperate attempt to reorient herself. “Sakura-chan!” Naruto shouts as she falls. In an instant, Sasuke, is by her tree instead of his own with his arms outstretched.

But in an instant, it’s Kakashi that catches her, grabbing her arm before she can fall any further. “It’s probably not a good idea to close your eyes while climbing,” he says as he gives her arm a tug and letting her sit on his branch.

Sasuke mutters something under his breath that Sakura can’t hear and goes back to his own tree. Naruto shouts something determined and energetic as he backs up, ready to climb the tree again.

“I’m surprised, Sakura,” Kakashi says as Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously charge up the tree. They both make it to five steps. “I thought you’d get the hang of this sooner.”

High expectations are good, she has to remind herself. It’s what her future self wanted. “S-Sorry…”

Kakashi tugs on his mask, but the piece of cloth doesn’t slip from its position. “You’re different from what I expected, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps it _was_ unreasonable for me to expect you to get that exercise down perfectly on the first try.”

“S-Seriously?” she can’t help but ask. “I’m sorry, Sensei. There’s no way I’m that good…”

“Well, I guess you’d have gotten this exercise perfect if I assigned it to you at a later time,” he reasons. “Say… around the time of this team’s first C-rank? It’s not unreasonable.” His hand lands lightly on top of her head. “It’s a good thing that you’re not what I expected. I thought you’d be some weak, whiny little girl. Hyper-focused on Sasuke to… do _something_ to him. Marry him? I don’t know. Whatever you kids do these days.”

And… that’s exactly what she’s trying _not_ to be, isn’t it? At least, it’s what her future self doesn’t want her to be.

“But you’re not like that at all,” Kakashi continues, “and you’re a lot more hard-working and focused than I expected.” He sighs and looks upward. “I suppose it’s only fair, though. After all, I’m not really acting like you expect me to, am I?”

The letter _did_ place a particularly strong emphasis on impressing Kakashi sooner and getting him to take her more seriously, but…

“What are you trying to say, Sensei?”

His expression suddenly turns serious, and his chakra feels stiff and cold. “I think you know the answer to that already, Sakura-chan.”

“The answer to what?” On her right, on a branch slightly higher than hers, is Naruto. Sasuke grunts from a branch slightly lower than hers on the tree to her left.

“You got the hang of it much quicker than I expected,” Kakashi says, smiling.

“We just did what Sakura told us,” Sasuke says, crossing his arms. “It’s actually simple, if you think of it as a test of control instead of speed.”

“Easy for you to say!” Naruto wails. “You have no idea how hard that was!”

“That’s just because you have more chakra,” Kakashi points out. “The more you have, the harder it is to control it.”

“But you got it!” Sakura interjects. “And if you did it once, then you can do it over and over again!”

“More importantly, you can do more difficult chakra control exercises,” Kakashi adds. He rubs his hands together with a mischievous smile, and Sakura almost groans. “How do you cute little genin feel about walking on water?”

* * *

Sasuke’s sitting alone at a booth in the restaurant the team had decided upon before parting ways after training. His elbows are resting on the table, and there’s boredom seeping through his cool facade. “Sorry I’m late!” Sakura calls as she drops her book on the table and slides into the seat across from him. Sasuke grunts in affirmation. “Where’s Naruto and Kakashi-sensei?”

“Not coming,” he replies dully. “Kakashi came by earlier and said he and Naruto had something other plans.”

It’s not unheard of for Kakashi to suddenly shift focus onto one specific member of the team -- last week, he’d dropped by Sakura’s home and stayed for dinner, politely chatting with her parents all the while. “You... stayed behind?” she asks Sasuke slowly. _It’s a date it’s a date it’s a date_ , says a small, persistent voice in the back of her mind.

He shrugs in response. “I figured you’d be coming anyway.”

It’s... surprisingly sweet of him, actually. Maybe this is the kind of memory her future self treasures, enough to actually try to change the past. It’s the perfect set up for a date -- maybe there’ll be many more to come. _Or maybe he just wanted to eat here anyway, since he picked the place and all..._

To her surprise, Sasuke slides the book toward himself and flips it over to the front cover. “ _Sealing Techniques and the Mechanics of Space and Time_?”

“Ah...” Sakura stammers. “I-It’s... just something I found in one of the new sections at the library. Oh, and when I say ‘new,’ I mean one of the sections genin can access but Academy students can’t. I’m not even sure it was supposed to be there, but it looks so advanced I don’t even know if...” She trails off when she sees Sasuke idly flipping through the pages.

He’s not even paying attention to her -- it stings for just a moment, before she can remind herself that this is _Sasuke_ , and not some mysterious hero from a romance novel. _Was he ever like that to begin with? Isn’t that why everyone liked him in the first place?_

“Time travel, huh...?” he mutters, more to himself than to her.

“O-Oh yeah!” Sakura splutters. “I thought that part was pretty interesting. I-I haven’t read it all the way through yet, b-but...”

“Wait,” he says suddenly, frowning. “Different timelines? What?”

“Huh?” she says faintly. “What are you...?” Sakura makes a noise somewhere between a groan and a sigh and stands up, making her way over to Sasuke’s side of the booth. They’re sitting so close to each other that they’re almost pressed against each other -- he smells vaguely of soap, and his hair is still slightly damp.

Sasuke slides the book over so that one side is resting on her lap and the other on his. “This part,” he says, running his finger along a rather large paragraph.

“Oh,” Sakura says. “Um...” It’s the last paragraph of an entire section, which means it’s likely transitioning into the next section -- no wonder he’s confused. “So basically... um... What do you think would happen if you went back to a time before your mother was born and killed your grandfather?”

He startles then, and a strangled noise escapes him for an instant before he can regain his composure. “I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to... I wasn’t trying to...”

He turns his head to the side and huffs in annoyance. “It’s fine.”

He doesn’t look angry -- or upset, for that matter -- but she’s still hurt him, and that’s something she can’t ignore. “I’m sorry...”

“It’s _fine_ ,” Sasuke says again, through clenched teeth. “You were explaining this, right? Just keep going.”

“Ah... um...” Sakura swallows and nods. “O-Okay. So basically what this is trying to say is, if you go back in time and change the past so that you won’t exist in the future, then you get a paradox because you had to travel back in time for the past to change at all.”

He leans in close then, peering at her side of the book. It’s almost romantic, except for the fact that his hair is in her face.

Sakura tilts her head to the side so that Sasuke’s hair is no longer in her nose and mouth. “So there’s this other theory -- what if, if you travel back in time, you’re not traveling back to your own past but the past of another world’s version of you? Of course, that’s assuming that there’s an infinite number of worlds.”

“An infinite number of worlds?” he echoes. His hair whips into her face as he turns his head to face her.

He’s startlingly close, and Sakura has to lean back slightly so that she can breathe. “Y-Yeah, it’s... well... Okay, this is going to get kind of technical. So there’s this theory -- unproven because there’s been almost no research on it, or at least no research that people our rank can access -- that there is an infinite number of worlds besides our own. Each of these worlds is _different_ somehow, even if it’s so subtle that you don’t notice at all.”

“So what does that have to do with--”

“Let’s assume that in every other world, there’s a Team Seven,” Sakura cuts him off. “Because there’s so many different worlds, there’s no telling that our team’s going to be the same in every single one. Maybe in some worlds, we’re not on the same team at all. Or maybe the three of us are on a team together, but we have a different sensei. Or maybe we failed the graduation exam and never left the Academy at all. See? Circumstances can be different like that.”

His eyebrows furrow, and his expression turns somber. “I see...”

“So what this book is saying is, if you try to change the past, you’re not really changing your own past, but the past of another world’s version of you. That way, the changes you make don’t affect you or your world.”

“Then what’s the point?” Sasuke asks in a low, almost shaking voice. “Why would you even go into the past if you can’t change things for yourself?”

“To change things for someone else,” Sakura answers easily. “Like...” Her face flushes scarlet. “If there’s someone you really care about who’s suffering, and you can’t do anything to help them in your own world, you try to change the past so that another world’s version of that person doesn’t have to suffer so much. A-And that way, you’re not wrecking how things are for you right now, you know? So your own future is still safe, and your children will still exist even if they might not in the world that you changed.”

Sasuke shuts the book suddenly and slides it off of his lap. He rests his elbow on the table and his head in the palm of his hand. He looks so distant then, like he’s lost in another world altogether. “Sasuke-kun? Um... Are you okay?” He grunts like always, but it’s a weak, half-hearted thing. “I’m sorry...”

“You didn’t do anything, so stop apologizing,” he snaps at her.

“S-Sorry...” Sakura says again out of reflex, shuffling out of Sasuke’s side of the booth and sliding back into her own. “I-I mean...”

The look he gives her isn’t an angry one. “I’m not made of glass, Sakura,” he says bluntly.

“I know that, it’s just...” This isn’t about her, she has to remind herself. This has always been about _Sasuke_ \-- ever since she’d received the letter. Every little thing she says of does has an impact, and there’s no telling what will push him over the edge and drive him away. And if the theory about infinite worlds is to believed, then this likely isn’t even the same Sasuke as the one her future self -- if she can even call her that -- is familiar with. And that means...

“Sakura,” Sasuke says sharply.

“H-Huh?” Her eyes are watering, and this is the absolute worst time for something like this to happen. “S-Sorry...”

Their food arrives then -- or at least the food that Sasuke had ordered, which is not so coincidentally enough for both of them -- and the waitress gives them a coy wink before leaving. "Thank you for the food,” Sasuke says politely as he presses his hands together.

_“If there’s one thing you should know about Sasuke-kun,”_ the letter had said, _“it’s that he’s a very selfish individual. Don’t try to win him over in a romantic sense -- you’ll just be wasting your time._

_“Sasuke-kun is very, very focused on his own goals -- it’s why he left in the first place. As I knew him, he lived for revenge, dedicated his entire life to it. Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and I were just needless distractions to him. He distanced himself from us because to him, we were weighing him down. To save him, you need to convince him that you’re not a burden to him, that you won’t hold him back.”_

_You say that, but..._ Sakura almost says out loud. _You said you’re doing this for your daughter, and now you’re trying to make it all about you. So which one is it?_

Sasuke nudges a plate of eel toward her wordlessly. _Would the Sasuke-kun my future self knew do something like this?_

“I won’t ask if you don’t want me to,” he says, and his voice almost sounds gentle, “but you need to get your chakra back up if you’re going to train tomorrow.”

Maybe the Sasuke her future self knows isn’t anywhere near this considerate. Maybe he is, and her future self is too absorbed in her own issues that she doesn’t notice. But this Sasuke, here and now -- it’s him that demands her attention.

“Thank you,” Sakura says quietly. “I’m sorry. I’m acting really weird, aren’t I? I just... have a lot on my mind. B-But I promise, it won’t get in the way of training! A-And... I won’t hold you back either.” She can’t tell him everything yet, but maybe he’ll understand anyway. This Sasuke, at least, seems much less selfish than her future self makes him out to be.

“I don’t want to live a life filled with regrets,” she says bluntly. “I don’t ever want to say things like, ‘I wish I worked harder,’ or ‘I wish I did more,’ so that’s why I can’t relax now. I know I’m being really vague, but...” Sasuke’s expression softens again, and something jolts almost painfully in her chest. “S-Sorry! I just kind of... babbled... I’m so sorry, you probably didn’t want to hear all of that...”

“No,” he says flatly. His expression softens then, and he sets his chopsticks down as he averts his gaze downward. “Maybe I should do that, too. But I still have to...” He frowns. “I... can’t just let him go. They don’t deserve that.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to,” Sakura says quickly. It’s the same courtesy he extended to her before, or so she hopes.

Sasuke sighs heavily. “No. I told Naruto, and Kakashi already knows, so I might as well tell you.” He takes a deep breath, as if to prepare himself, and looks straight into her eyes. “The person I need to kill is my older brother... the person responsible for the massacre of my clan. I don’t have a choice -- I _need_ to do this.” He exhales sharply when he’s done, his shoulders sagging, and he looks so _tired_ that Sakura considers going to his side of the booth and hugging him.

“I’ll help, okay?” she says instead. “If you need to research techniques and stuff, just leave it to me.”

His eyes widen slightly, and then his mouth curves into the tiniest of smiles. “Thank you,” he says quietly, barely above a whisper. “Kakashi said to have other goals besides... killing him. So I’m going to help Naruto become Hokage, and I’m going to make sure you don’t have any regrets.”

_You’re wrong, future me_ , Sakura thinks as she and Sasuke start eating. _Sasuke-kun isn’t selfish at all -- at least, this one isn’t._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I properly exercising my right to bend these characters to fit this AU, or am I butchering them entirely? The struggle is SO real.
> 
> Enter my... slightly more cynical thoughts concerning Sakura’s character. Or, rather, her flaws in general, that people either tend to blow out of proportion to bash her character, or dismiss entirely so that she can fit some perfect image.
> 
> I also wanted to emphasize (and I’m not sure how well I succeeded) that past!Sakura has been inspired by the letter to work much harder than future!Sakura ever did at this time -- you know, by upping her studying even though she’s graduated, by training a lot. And this, in turn, leads to past!Sakura stretching herself thin...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Um... it's been a while?

He’s training the next time she sees him, after their not-quite-date. The whole team is, except separately since Kakashi’s out on a mission.

Sasuke’s at the training grounds, a quiver of arrows strapped onto his back as he cocks an arrow to his bow and aims at one of the target posts meant for shuriken practice. He pulls the string all the way back to his ear, and his eyes narrow. When he lets the arrow fly, it hits the ring just outside the center. “Tch,” he says as he prepares another arrow.

For now, Sakura’s content to just watch him. Her head hurts from concentrating on chakra control all day, and there’s something relaxing about watching Sasuke’s smooth, fluid movements. 

The next arrow lands even farther from the center than the first, and Sasuke glares at the target.

_Did the Sasuke-kun my future self knew ever practice archery like this?_  Sakura can’t help but wonder as she sits down on the grass and pulls her knees to her chest.  _Did she even know?_

Sasuke he readies yet another arrow. Beads of sweat collect at his brow, and his movements become more rushed, less precise. It’s obvious that he’s been at this for a long time, and the hours have taken their toll on him. He doesn’t pull the string back as far, and the arrow doesn’t hit the target at all.

Rage flashes through his eyes for just a moment, but it vanishes almost as quickly as it had come. With a heavy sigh, he makes his way to the target and plucks his arrows from it, stuffing them along with his bow back into his quiver. When he turns, his eyes lock with Sakura’s and he stops. “You were watching.” It’s not a question, but not an accusation either.

“Sorry,” Sakura says sheepishly. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

He shakes his head as he plops down on the grass next to her and tosses his quiver to the side. With a grunt, he lays down and closes his eyes. “You wouldn’t have.” 

“Hey!” From seemingly out of nowhere, three Narutos jumps down in front of them.

“Naruto, put those away,” Sakura says sharply, already too used to his antics by now.

With an almighty pout, the Shadow Clones poof out of existence, and Naruto sits cross-legged on the ground. “How’d training go for you guys?” Sakura makes a noise halfway between a whine and a groan, and Sasuke gives a noncommittal grunt. “That bad, huh?”

“It wasn’t  _bad_ ,” Sakura interjects. “Just not  _good_.”

“You were practicing chakra control again, weren’t you?” Sasuke asks, turning his head so that he’s vaguely looking in her direction. “What’s the point? You’re already good at it.”

“I’m not good  _enough_ ,” Sakura mutters through clenched teeth, ripping grass from the ground. “This is just basic stuff, and if I can’t get this down perfectly, then can I really do anything else?”

“Of course you can!” Naruto assures her. “I mean, come on! Just because you’re not getting this down right now doesn’t mean you never will.” He grins and points proudly to himself. “I mean, look at me! I couldn’t even do a measly little clone jutsu before, and look at me now!”

“Naruto, you  _still_  can’t do a clone jutsu,” Sasuke deadpans.

“That’s besides the point!” Naruto shoots back. 

With a heavy sigh, Sakura looks down. “Chakra control, huh…?”  _It’s about the most basic thing in the world and I can’t do even_ that _._

“Cheer up, Sakura-chan,” Naruto says enthusiastically. “Even if you’re not that strong, you’re still the smartest person ever!”

With a brittle laugh, she shakes her head. “You’re exaggerating, Naruto.”

“He’s not,” Sasuke says bluntly. “That book you showed me the other day was nowhere near genin-level. And that was after you had to explain it to me.”

“Eh?” says Naruto, scooting forward toward him. “What book?”

“Something about time travel.”

“Okay, that was just  _one section_ ,” Sakura interjects with a nervous laugh. But then Naruto freezes, his eyes going wide. “Naruto?”

He blinks once, twice, and then grins like nothing is wrong. “Huh? Sorry, Sakura-chan! Guess all this book stuff is way over my head…” He smiles sheepishly as he rubs the back of his neck. 

With a grunt, Sasuke stands up and stretches. “I’m leaving,” he announces. “Later.”

“Bye!” Sakura and Naruto call after him simultaneously. 

Naruto doesn’t move. Instead, he starts ripping grass out of the ground before him with a strange half-smile. “Time travel, huh…?”

“It’s kind of complicated,” Sakura says bluntly. “It’s like… What do you think would happen if–”

“Do you think that stuff’s for real?” Naruto cuts her off.

“Huh?”

“Y'know… traveling through time. Changing the past.”

“Is it possible?” Sakura asks. “Maybe. I don’t know. It would be nice if it was.”

He half-smiles again and rips out another handful of grass. “Yeah, that’s true…”

Sakura frowns and crosses her arms. “Okay, spill,” she says. “What’s going on?”

“Huh?” Naruto says dully. “N-Nothing! I guess I’m just tired–”

“You’re  _never_  tired.”

“Look, it’s probably just another prank – I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time–”

“ _Naruto_.”

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

He’s never looked so uneasy – or maybe it’s just that she’s never seen him like this. With a sigh, Sakura raises her pinky in the air and links it with Naruto’s. It’s surprisingly childish of her, she realizes belatedly – the last time she’s done this was at a sleepover with Ino when she was eight, after all. “Promise.”

Naruto takes a deep breath, as if to calm himself. “Okay. Okay. So.” He reaches into his weapons satchel and pulls out an envelope with his name scrawled messily on the front.

Really, she should be more surprised. “Oh. I see.”

“I haven’t even told you what’s in it!” Naruto yells. “It’s–”

“A letter from you in the future telling you to keep Sasuke-kun from leaving.” Sakura says. She reaches into her own satchel and pulls out the letter. “Right?”

“B-But…” he splutters helplessly, and she almost feels sorry for him. “How?”

She hands her own letter to him, and he gapes at it with his mouth quite literally hanging open. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he yells.

“I had to  _make_  you tell me,” she deadpans.

“Okay, okay, I get it…” He hands her the letter and rubs the back of his neck. Sakura almost sighs in relief, because at least he had the decency to not open it. “So… what do we do now?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know… the same thing we’ve  _been_  doing? It’s not like there’s anything else we  _can_  do, or we might change the future too much.”

“Isn’t that the point though?”

“Not if we’re using the letters as a reference.”

“I don’t really get it…”

Sakura sighs again. “I don’t think I get it either…”

* * *

“Hell no!” Naruto yells in the Hokage’s office the next morning. “If I have to do one more D-rank, I swear to Kaguya–”

“Who’s Kaguya?” Sasuke whispers to Sakura. All she can do is shrug in response.

The Third Hokage flinches visibly, his forehead creasing. “Okay, so there happens to be an escort mission that needs completing.”

Kakashi smiles. “How do you cute little genin feel about Water Country?”

They set off by noon. “We’ll get you there soon, Tazuna-san,” Kakashi tells the old bridge builder politely.

“Sure you will,” Tazuna says dryly.

“Tch,” Sasuke says to himself.

“Who’s Kaguya?” Sakura whispers to Naruto a little ways ahead.

“You mean I  _actually_ know something you don’t?” Naruto shoots back, grinning. Which means that it was in his letter.  _Obviously_.

“I hate you,” she mutters. “ _So_ much.”


	6. Chapter 6

It's a long, long way to Wave Country.

Resisting the urge to groan, Sakura trudges onward, just a few paces behind Sasuke and Kakashi. Naruto and Tazuna, the man they're supposed to escort, walk several paces behind her, talking loudly and animatedly about something or another that Sakura has long stopped paying attention to.

_“I'm sorry, but I can't disclose any details about the mission, the letter had said. All I do is warn you to be prepared for the worst.”_

She clenches her fists by her sides. It's easy to forget that having a letter from the future, as contrived as it is, is an advantage that she's never had before now. It wouldn't be fair to expect her future self to tell her everything that will happen – that's almost like cheating.

_But isn't the point to_ change _the future?_ she reminds herself again. It feels like she's been doing that a lot lately. _When will the letter_ stop _predicting the future?_

"Sakura," Kakashi says suddenly. She snaps her head upward and tries to look less tired than she feels. "If you're getting tired, I can carry that for you." He gestures toward her backpack.

"That's okay," she replies. "It's really light." She isn't lying – the backpack really is lighter than it was when she used to carry it to the Academy. Not for the first time, she mentally thanks the book on sealing techniques from the library. Scrolls weigh a lot less than supplies, after all.

The letter had said to be prepared for the worst – that's almost a guarantee that something will go wrong.

Not for the first time since they set out, Sakura glances back at Naruto. He's acting like he always does, but there's a certain tension in his shoulders that is rarely there otherwise.

_Did his letter say anything...?_

She doesn't know what possesses her to stop. Suddenly, everything is brighter, louder, clearer – every sight, every sound, every smell – the grass beneath her feet, the wind making her hair blow in different directions, the smell of dew, Sasuke and Kakashi continuing to walk forward peacefully as if they're on a picnic instead of a mission. The only thing out of place is a heavy feeling pressing down on her chest and a chill running down her spine.

"Sakura-chan?"

Naruto and Tazuna have stopped just a little ways behind her. To the front, Sasuke turns around and Kakashi walks back to meet her.

"What is it?" Kakashi asks.

It's impossible to breathe too deeply. "I-I..." she starts, her voice cracking. "I might just be paranoid, but..." Sasuke frowns suddenly and begins glancing around the perimeter.

"Sakura?" Kakashi prompts her.

"Something doesn't feel right," she says quickly. "I-It's like..." Suddenly, it's difficult to recall anything from the books she'd read both in the Academy and out of it.

_“Be prepared for the worst,”_ the letter had said.

"She's right," Sasuke says suddenly. He stands in a defensive stance with his bow drawn and an arrow cocked to it. "We're being followed."

Naruto laughs nervously. "C-Come on, guys! You're overreacting! Maybe it's a traveler or a merchant or someone going the same way!"

_“Be prepared for the worst,”_ the letter had said.

She doesn't know what it is that's making her shake so much. She's never felt this anxious before – not even during the most difficult Academy exams.

"Sakura," Kakashi says again. His hands grip her shoulders tightly, forcing her to look up at him. "Breathe."

But somehow, she doesn't know how to do even that.

_“Be prepared for the worst,”_ the letter had said.

Something in the air shifts. "Move!" Sasuke shouts as he jumps off the path. Naruto follows suit, shoving Tazuna in front of him, and Kakashi has to drag Sakura there by her arm.

The sudden movement makes it easier to think. It's easier to look back now, to think of what could possibly be wrong with her. _It's not just the letter_ , she quickly surmises. _I'm too anxious for it to be just that._ She places one hand on her chest and forces herself to breathe as deeply as she can. _Killing intent. A flare of chakra meant to paralyze targets with fear. Larger concentrations mean higher chances of success. But smaller concentrations..._ She breathes again. _Smaller concentrations result in milder symptoms – symptoms that can easily be passed off as simple anxiety._ She takes another deep breath. _It's not real... It's not real!_

"We _are_ being followed," she says quietly. "It's not just&ndash"

Before she can finish, two masked men land on the path. "Protect the client!" Kakashi shouts before lunging toward them with a kunai raised.

"Mm!" Naruto shouts, vigorously nodding. With shaking hands, he forms the appropriate seal and summons at least a dozen Shadow Clones. The Shadow Clones surround Tazuna, taking fighting stances, but the real Naruto remains rooted on the spot, shaking as Sakura once was.

There's a whip – a large metal chain flying through the air, shooting towards Tazuna. Six Shadow Clones jump into action; the whip recoils as the clones poof out of existence. Naruto's eyes go wide, and his face visibly pales.

Just like the real Naruto, Sakura can't move – all she can do is stand there, her hands trembling at her sides. Naruto squeezes his eyes shut and forms the appropriate seal with his hands again. More Shadow Clones flock to Tazuna's side, more than there originally were.

Suddenly, there's an arm flung over Sakura's chest, and she's yanked into someone else. Her head knocks into Sasuke's jaw, and his grip tightens around her left shoulder. The whip recoils from where she was standing just seconds ago. "If you can't fight, then..." Sasuke says through gritted teeth. _Then get out of the way_ , he leaves unsaid.

Time seems to slow down as she turns her head to look at him. His face is slightly paler than usual, and he breathes in short, quick gasps. It's hard for Sakura to wrap her head around the fact that he might be just as frightened as she is, and yet...

_He can still fight, but I'm just..._

She closes her eyes and inhales deeply. It's easier to breathe with her eyes closed – it takes the edge off of her fear, and makes it easier to move. She can hear metal clinking as the whip moves. The air shifts, and there's barely enough time to pull Sasuke out of the way. There's a crash right where they were standing before, and she exhales sharply. It only occurs to her now that Kakashi is nowhere to be found. "We can't defeat them on our own," she says in a shaking voice as she pulls Sasuke away from the whip once more. "Kakashi-sensei... We have to stall them, so Kakashi-sensei can finish them off."

She feels him nod next to her. "Mm," he says. He throws his hand over his shoulder – probably to draw another arrow. But the opportunity for him to strike never comes. All they can do is remain on the defensive, constantly dodging.

There seems to be a near endless supply of Shadow Clones surrounding Tazuna, and Sakura has to wonder how Naruto can find the energy to keep the barricade going for so long.

"There!" Sasuke shouts suddenly. He lets an arrow fly, smirking triumphantly as it hits one of the masked men in the knee. The whip crashes to the ground with the man, and before he can react, Sakura shoots out the wires in her one of her wristbands to bind him.

_“I can't dictate which direction you should take your training,”_ the letter had said, “ _but at the very least, please invest in reliable tools. Wire is extremely versatile – with precise chakra control, you can do just about anything with it.”_

But the wire is only as strong as her chakra – and it would be laughably easy for the masked man to break out of her hold.

"N-No way..."

The masked man readies his whip, and Sakura freezes on the spot. Shadow Clones pour out of Naruto in a continuous, unending stream. Sasuke drops his bow and steps in front of her, stretching his arms out to the side.

But the blow never comes. The next thing she knows, Kakashi is there, one masked man's head tucked under his arm and the other pinned to a tree with several knives. "Sorry I'm late," he said.

After that, it's quick work getting the masked men to leave. Sakura sinks to her knees in exhaustion. Sasuke picks up his bow and cocks an arrow to it, still alert. Naruto remains paralyzed on the spot as all fifty-something of his Shadow Clones maintains their protective stances around Tazuna.

"Tazuna-san," Kakashi says in a sickly sweet voice, "I don't appreciate you trying to kill my genin."

The old man recoils in shock. "Y-You think I did this?"

"Well, it's not every day you're almost killed on a C-rank escort mission," Kakashi says dryly. He then turns to smile at the team. "You three can relax now."

It's Naruto that moves first. Hesitantly, he raises his hands into a familiar seal and dispels each of his Shadow Clones, one by one. Sakura presses her hands into the grass beneath her to keep them from shaking. Sasuke doesn't lower his bow.

"Sasuke," Kakashi says, stepping toward him and resting his hand on his shoulder. "The threat is gone now."

"You don't know that for sure." Sasuke's voice is little more than a hoarse whisper, and he's gripping his bow so tightly that his knuckles are white.

Kakashi grips his shoulder tightly and sighs. “There’s no getting past you, is there?” he says quietly.

It’s only know that Sakura realizes that she’s crying. Belatedly, she raises a hand up to her eyes. “S-Sorry...” she whispers, though the tears don’t stop.

There’s a loud, hiccuping sniffle as the last of Naruto’s Shadow Clones poofs out of existence. Unlike Sakura, he doesn’t apologize as he alternates between rubbing his eyes and rubbing his nose. 

“I’m sorry,” Sakura says again as she chokes on a sob.

Sasuke startles as a twig snaps under his foot, and he shoots the arrow in his hand into a nearby tree.

“Now,” Kakashi says sharply, cracking his knuckles, “isn’t it time you told us the truth, Tazuna-san?”

* * *

The work never ended.

Not that Suigetsu would ever admit it to anyone, but the mindless routine – wake up, help Karin set up for the day and hope she wouldn’t bite his head off, see if Juugo was in any condition to get up, go with Orochimaru to do Orochimaru things, visit Juugo if Juugo had stayed in bed that morning, and help Karin clean up – made him miss the perpetual numbness of his old tank.

It was a stupid thing to miss, he realized, when there were so many other things he could be missing instead, like traveling with everyone and being able to use Zabuza’s old sword for something other than chopping wood. 

(Come to think of it, nothing like that would have happened if Sasuke hadn’t released him from the tank in the first place, would it?)

Karin huffed irritably as she straightened the box of beakers and tubes that Suigetsu had just messily stuffed in a cupboard before. “What?” she deadpanned.

There were a number of ways this conversation could go. _What’s up your butt?_ was out, because it would likely result in a hastily dodged punch thrown at his jaw. _Nothing, you crazy harpy_ was also out for the same reason.

So Suigetsu settled on a simple, “Hm?”

“Your chakra’s going haywire,” she said, not looking up at him even once. “You haven’t said a word since you got in, and you usually  _never_ shut up.”

It was almost sweet, that Karin was worried about him. He could get used to this just about as well as he could get used to sticking his hand in a snake’s mouth.

This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have with Karin, or with anyone, really. It was just stupid doubt and insecurity, all in his head – nothing he couldn’t handle alone.

“Suigetsu.”

The door to the lab creaked open before Karin could say another word, and the two of them froze. But instead of Orochimaru, it was Juugo that peeked his head inside. He hadn’t been able to get out of bed that morning – his cursed seal had gone out of control the day before, and the drug Orochimaru gave him had made him so drowsy that he slept well into the afternoon. 

Juugo took one look at Suigetsu’s face, and then his eyes furrowed in concern. “What’s wrong?” he asked, soft and gentle and so unlike the screaming maniac he’d been a day ago.

“Nothing,” Suigetsu grumbled.

“Fine,” Karin snapped at him immediately. “ _Don’t_ tell us.”

“Karin–” Juugo started, raising his arm slightly. Then he sighed, shifting his attention to Suigetsu. “If you’re upset, then...” 

Suigetsu’s resolve wavered. It was hard to say no to Juugo, and not entirely because there was a risk of flipping that switch between docile and homicidal.

Karin opened a drawer at the side of her desk and pulled out a large, half-full bottle and a stand containing five test tubes. “You look like you need to be drunk for this.”

Suigetsu whistled appreciatively when she poured alcohol into two of the test tubes. She handed one to Suigetsu  before taking the other for herself. Juugo wasn’t allowed any because it would react badly with whatever drugs Orochimaru had loaded into his system.

It had been a while since Suigetsu last drank, so his throat burned when he dipped his head back and downed the test tube in one go. He waited fifteen, twenty minutes before his mind turned just fuzzy enough, and then he took a deep breath.

“Do you guys ever regret... being here?”

Juugo winced and bowed his head. Karin sighed and drummed her fingers against her desk. 

“I’ve gotta admit,” she said slowly, “this isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I first signed up to be a ninja.”

There had been no “signing up” for Suigetsu, he remembered – it was just a fact of life, that he would follow in his brother’s footsteps and become one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

(Mangetsu, huh? It’d been a while since he last crept into his thoughts.)

Suigetsu didn’t want to think about the past – before Orochimaru, before even Yagura. He didn’t want to think about how wrong it was that he couldn’t even remember his brother’s face, hadn’t been able to remember it for decades now – just his hands, how they’d adjust Suigetsu’s grip around the sword, how they’d pat his head. Suigetsu wasn’t like Sasuke, who could turn the past into something that motivated him, pushed him toward some great, huge goal.

Karin poured him another shot. It went down more easily than the first.

“I wish I could’ve done more...” Juugo said quietly. “Maybe I could’ve... well, maybe there’s nothing I could’ve done to _save_ Kimimaro, but...”

“If there’s one thing you could say to him now, right now,” Suigetsu said, only slightly stumbling over his words, “what would you tell him?”

Juugo smiled gently. “That’s easy,” he said. “I’d ask him to escape with me. Then we’d find someone who could heal him, and as long as he’s there, I won’t turn into a monster. But maybe, once he’s healthy again, we’ll go find someone who can fix me – someone who’s not Orochimaru.”

“So tell him that,” Karin said suddenly. Clumsily, she pulled a stack of paper out from under her desk, as well as several pens. “I read somewhere that if you send a letter to yourself in the past, you’ll be able to change the future.”

“She’s wasted,” Suigetsu deadpanned, and maybe he did deserve the fist Karin swung at his head.

“I am not!” she shot back. “It’s true!” She paused. “Maybe. I think. It honestly depends on how reliable that website was.”

“So what is it?” Juugo asked. “Space-time ninjutsu or...?”

“Something like that,” Karin answered. “But... yeah. It’s been a while since we last did something like this, so let’s just go for it.”

“So you’re gonna write to yourself then?” Suigetsu asked. “In the past?”

“Yeah,” Karin said as clicked open one of the pens. “Maybe I’ll start with...” She wrote slowly, but she never went back to make corrections.

Juugo smiled as he eagerly took several sheets of paper. “I’m going to write to Kimimaro,” he said earnestly. “I... don’t think I would’ve believed it back then, if a letter came to me claiming to be from my future self. But Kimimaro would understand – I know he would.”

Suigetsu sighed as he took one of the sheets of paper himself. He hated to admit it, but Juugo had a point – there was no way his past self would ever believe a letter that said it came from himself so far ahead in the future. And maybe it was the alcohol – maybe it was the annoyingly persistent frustration that he couldn’t remember his brother’s face, no matter how hard he tried – but it was laughably easy to convince himself to write.

_“Hey Big Bro,”_ he wrote. Then he crossed it out – too informal, and what did he even call his brother again?  _“Mangetsu Hozuki,”_ he tried again, but that was too formal, too impersonal.

Sighing, Suigetsu trailed the pen downwards a few centimeters.  _“Hi Brother,”_ he wrote and forced himself to keep going.  _“This is going to sound completely insane, but I’m Suigetsu, writing to you from–”_

“How do you guys feel about sending these back twenty years?” Suigetsu asked.

“Not enough,” Karin said sharply. “Make it twenty-one.” Juugo furiously nodded in agreement.

_“–twenty-one years in the future. Knowing you, you’re probably not gonna believe me, and you’re gonna ask for everyone’s opinion, but I promise I’m telling the truth. I know that sounds really hard to believe coming from a letter, but that’s really it.”_

Suigetsu was too drunk for this – or maybe he wasn’t drunk enough.

_“So here’s the situation: you’re gonna die. I’m not sure how because no one ever told me anything about it, but you’re gonna die, and it’s gonna be Yagura’s fault. In just a little while, the only ones left will be Zabuza and Kisame, and then it’ll be just Kisame because. Something. No one told me anything. It sucks.”_

He had to stop to take a deep breath. Ranting to his brother wouldn’t do any good whatsoever.

_“I don’t even know why I’m writing to you and not to myself. I’m not asking you to save me or anything, but I know that you surviving would make things a lot better. I just. If you live, then I’ll be able to save myself, if that makes sense.”_

“Who am I kidding?” Suigetsu muttered to himself. “I’m not making any sense at all...”

_“So enough of me ranting,”_ he wrote more to himself than to his brother.  _“If there’s one thing I know, it’s that you absolutely need to do this: first, you need to disband the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Then, all of you need to get the fuck out of Kirigakure, before Yagura screws you over. Get out of Kirigakure, and take me with you.”_


	7. Chapter 7

The fog is so thick, it’s hard to breathe.

No one says a word – no one can say anything after what had just happened. Naruto sits with his arms around his knees, his brow furrowed as if he’s deep in thought. Sasuke had put away the bow a while ago at Kakashi’s insistence, but his hand still twitches toward it at every sound. Sakura runs her finger down the wire in her arm, pulsing her chakra through it to keep her mind occupied with something that doesn’t have to do with the mission.

“I didn’t mean to deceive you all,” Tazuna had told them before, after Naruto and Sakura had successfully stopped crying and Sasuke had lowered his bow. “It’s just that… I don’t have any other choice. If I don’t finish this bridge, Gato will…”

_Gato…_ The head of a large trading company, Gato’s known even in Konoha, but only to a small degree. His influence lies primarily in Water Country, after all. There are definitely records of shady business deals and dealings with rogue ninja, so extortion can’t be too out of character for him.

“I don’t get why you can’t just beat the guy up and be done with it,” Naruto grumbles. Not for the first time, Sakura finds herself wondering if his letter had said anything more than hers.

“It’s not that simple, Naruto,” Kakashi says calmly. “Gato isn’t like any old rogue ninja. He’s too powerful to dispatch that way.”

“We can still take him down,” Naruto says stubbornly.

“Powerful in a different way, moron,” Sasuke says in a low voice, rasping from disuse. Sakura startles as her head jerks upwards – it’s the first words he’s said since the fight with the masked ninja. “He’s not a rogue ninja at all – he’s the head of a corporation. You can’t deal with him the same way. It just doesn’t work.”

Sakura nods vigorously. “If you want to take down someone like that, you need to cut off his assets.” She might be showing off – just a little. “Figure out which people he has the most influence with, and then turn those people against him. That’s how every awful leader in the history of _ever_ has been dealt with.”

Kakashi chuckles and pats her gently on the head. “That’s a lot easier said than done, Sakura-chan.”

“So why did you come to us?” Sasuke asks suddenly. His voice is still too low, and there’s still some tension in his shoulders that’s been there since before the masked men attacked. He doesn’t look at Tazuna, but it’s obvious that the question is directed at him. “Isn’t Kirigakure just around the corner for you?”

“ _You_ try dealing with their leader,” Tazuna practically spits at him. “That Mizukage’s damn near impossible…”

“Mizukage?” Naruto echoes, tilting his head to the side.

Sakura’s too tired to snap at him for not paying attention in the Academy. “Kirigakure’s equivalent of a Hokage,” she elaborates.

“Oh…” Naruto says slowly. He falls silent then, uncharacteristically, and he frowns to himself.

_His letter_ has _to have said something_ , Sakura thinks. As if he can read her mind, Naruto gives her a long stare and shrugs. _Show me your letter_ , Sakura tries to think in his general direction. He looks away too quickly and easily to have picked up on her signal.

Sakura pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. _What is this stupid mission_ doing _to us?_ Though perhaps she should be grateful for the doubt, because otherwise she likely wouldn’t have noticed how much heavier the fog is starting to seem. Almost as if…

“It’s happening again,” she whispers.

“What?” Naruto shouts as Sasuke springs to his feet and draws his bow from his quiver faster than Sakura can even blink.

“No, you’re just paranoid,” Tazuna says dully.

“With all due respect, Tazuna-san,” Kakashi says in a sickly sweet voice, “I think they have a right to be after what happened on the way here.” He doesn’t immediately go for a weapon like Sasuke did, but his one visible eye is constantly shifting, scanning the perimeter. The rower of their small boat pulls into the docks as quietly as possible, and Kakashi ushers the rest of the team and Tazuna out.

Suddenly, the mist clears. Perched gracefully on the water’s surface is a man with silver hair, holding a large sword shaped suspiciously like a fish.

Kakashi frowns. “Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto,” he says hurriedly. “Stay by Tazuna-san. I’ll handle this.”

“H-Huh…?” Naruto splutters as the silver-haired man raises his sword in the air.

“Get down!” Kakashi shouts suddenly.

Before she can process what’s happening, Sakura is pulled down, and there’s a _whoosh_ as a windmill shuriken flies above her head.

“Is everyone all right?” Kakashi asks, only slightly turning his head to regard them.

“Mm!” Sasuke says in a slightly strained voice. It’s only now that Sakura notices that he’s the one that pulled her down, and his hands are still wrapped tightly around Naruto’s and her wrists.

Naruto wrenches his arm out of Sasuke’s grasp and summons a dozen Shadow Clones. “We have to protect Tazuna!”

Sakura closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Just like before, it’s easier to breathe this way, but this time calmness comes more quickly. She twists her arm so that she’s holding Sasuke’s hand instead of just the other way around and pulls him to his feet. “We’ll be okay, Sasuke-kun,” she says. Maybe she’s trying to console herself more than she’s trying to console him, but it seems to calm him down anyway.

Kakashi slowly removes his forehead protector, revealing a bright red eye with a large gash running through it.

Sasuke startles and gives a strangled gasp. “Why does he…?”

Sakura looks from Sasuke, to Kakashi, and then back to Sasuke. _Was Kakashi-sensei’s eye always like that…?_

“You’re a long way away from home, aren’t you Hozuki-san?” Kakashi asks. His voice is deceptively calm, pleasant even, and yet the tension remains in the air.

The silver-haired man bows his head politely, holding his sword to the side. “Sharingan Kakashi, is it? A pleasure.” He shifts his attention to the client, and smiles pleasantly. “I’m surprised you hired children to protect you, Tazuna-san. They must be very strong indeed.”

“H-Hey!” Naruto interjects. “Who’re you calling a kid?”

“Naruto,” Kakashi says sharply. “Sakura and Sasuke too. Do not interfere. This man is on a different level from the people we faced before.”

“I’d hoped,” the silver-haired man says, “that we’d meet under less dire circumstances, Hatake-san.” The tip of his sword flattens as he raises it into the air. “Unfortunately, Gato’s eyes are everywhere.”

He slams his sword down, and the ground shudders violently. Kakashi draws a knife and lunges toward the swordsman, but the knife phases through what looks like a wall of water shaped like the swordsman.

“Wh-What–” Naruto splutters. “Did he just–”

“That… didn’t feel like a genjutsu,” Sakura mumbles.

“It wasn’t,” Sasuke says, shaking his head. “He really did turn his body into water.”

The swordsman’s body reappears, and he smiles. “I apologize,” he says as Kakashi swings the knife at him again. His body turns to water just as it did before. “Gato’s eyes are everywhere.” Kakashi lunges for him again, and the swordsman phases into water.

“That’s Mangetsu Hozuki,” Tazuna says suddenly. “One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. But he’s alone today, which means…” He frowns suddenly. “Something isn’t right.”

“You’re saying Gato hired the _Seven Swordsmen of the Mist_?” Sasuke snaps.

“I’m not saying that he did!” Tazuna shoots back.

“But why waste them on just us?” Sakura asks. “Kakashi-sensei… if he’s that strong, then I guess…”

“That’s what I just said,” Tazuna sighs. “There’s something else going on here. It isn’t just about Gato.”

“Meaning?” Sasuke prompts him.

“Meaning…” Tazuna sighs harshly. “Okay, you kids aren’t from around here, so I guess you wouldn’t know. That guy your teacher’s fighting – Mangetsu Hozuki – he’s one of the stronger members of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. If Gato really did hire them, then they wouldn’t send out one of their strongest _this_ early. Not for someone like Gato, at any rate.”

“So you’re saying that Gato _didn’t_ hire them,” Sasuke says.

“That, or he did and they have an agenda of their own,” Sakura adds.

Tazuna shrugs. “Hey, I’m just making a wild guess. I could be totally off base here.”

“Uh… guys?” Naruto pipes up suddenly.

There isn’t any time to react as Mangetsu suddenly shifts his attention toward the rest of the team. With his sword raised, he speeds toward them faster than any of them can prepare for the inevitable blow. Sakura’s grip tightens unconsciously around Sasuke’s wrist as she squeezes her eyes shuts

But the blow never comes – instead, Mangetsu stops just a few meters in front of them and lowers his weapon. Slowly, the sword begins to shrink until it’s the size of a short sword “Tazuna-san, I hope you understand the difficult position I am in,” he says. “Gato’s eyes are everywhere.”

_Come to think of it, that’s the third time he’s said that…_ Sakura can’t help but wonder.

“If anyone, including your family, asks what transpired here,” Mangetsu continues, “you will say that I was defeated by Copy Ninja Kakashi. Understand?”

Tazuna nods slowly, uncertainly. “Y-Yes…”

Mangetsu bows graciously to Kakashi like he once did before. “Hatake-san,” he says, “I hope that the next time we fight, it will not be as enemies.”

When he disappears into the mist, all is quiet.

“Is everyone all right?” Kakashi asks slowly, hesitantly.

Sasuke nods firmly and puts away his bow before Kakashi can tell him to do so. Sakura can’t help but sigh in relief now that he’s returned to some semblance of normalcy.

“Everyone…” Tazuna says. “Come stay at my house. It’s the least I can do after you’ve all gone to such lengths for us.”

* * *

Naruto groans in frustration. “All these plants sound the same!”

“No they don’t!” Sakura snaps. “You can tell by the roots of the words that they’re totally different! See, plants that start with the prefix–”

“Yeah,” Naruto says distractedly. “I see you opening and closing your mouth, and sound’s coming out, but it’s not making any sense.”

“What did you just say?” Sakura screeches.

Kakashi chuckles. “I’m glad everyone’s feeling better.”

They’d stumbled into Tazuna’s home in a half-daze, not even half an hour after the fight with Mangetsu. Immediately, Tazuna’s daughter Tsunami began fussing over them and set about making them food, practically shoving them out the door to collect herbs for her after insisting that they take a bath and change into civilian clothes.

“What are you talking about?” Sasuke mutters. “None of us were too badly injured.”

Kakashi shakes his head. “I mean _mentally_. You all seem to be taking this pretty well. Sasuke, I expected, but Naruto and Sakura–”

“Hey, what do you mean he’s _better_ than us?” Naruto cuts him off. “We’re tough as nails! Right, Sakura-chan?”

Sakura nods and can’t help but laugh. “Yeah!”

“Well, I have to ask anyway,” Kakashi says, his tone suddenly somber. “You three… if you feel like this mission might be too much for you to handle, or too difficult, I’m giving you the option to return to Konoha before things get too serious.” And just like that, all the mirth from before is gone. “This mission requires a lot more than what we originally thought, I’m sure you all know. It’s far beyond what would normally be expected of genin outside wartime.”

“But Tazuna-san–” Naruto starts.

“Will be protected by me as he completes his bridge,” Kakashi finishes. “I promised that Team Seven would see this bridge complete – it makes no difference if it’s just one member or all four.”

“But wouldn’t that be… _deserting_?” Sakura asks quietly.

“Not if it’s under orders from your superior,” Kakashi answers, “and that would be me.”

Sasuke shakes his head. “Bullshit,” he mutters. “You’re contradicting yourself.”

Kakashi’s visible eye widens in shock. “Wh-What?”

“You said yourself that those who abandon their friends are worse than trash,” Sasuke elaborates. “So what right do you have to order us to do exactly that?”

Kakashi’s eye crinkles into a smile. “Well, that’s one way to look at it,” he says calmly. “The way I see it, if I forced you three to stay here and risk your lives for a mission we truly know nothing about when I have the option to keep you safe, _I_ would be abandoning _you_ , even if it doesn’t seem that way in a literal sense.”

“So do that,” Sasuke retorts. “You’re not abandoning us if you keep us safe while we’re _here_ – and at the same time, we won’t abandon you.”

Naruto nods. “Yeah!”

Not for the first time, Sakura wonders if this is the Sasuke her future self fell in love with – someone not necessarily fearless – and it’s obvious that he’s not, given how long it’s taken for him to calm down after the subsequent ambushes on their journey – but brave, ready to face anything. Does it mean that she’s done something right? Has the future changed already?

“Sakura?” Kakashi says.

“H-Huh?” Sakura mumbles, suddenly snapping back to the present. “I-I was just…”

“Sakura-chan’s okay with it too,” Naruto says, surprisingly firm.

Collecting herself as quickly as she can, Sakura nods. “Y-Yeah,” she says. “We can’t quit now.”

Kakashi’s eye crinkles into a smile, and he pats each genin on the head. “I really lucked out with team assignments this time around.”

“‘Course you did, Sensei!” Naruto says enthusiastically.

Sakura giggles. “Yup!”

“Mm,” Sasuke says, nodding with the tiniest of smiles.

Kakashi chuckles. “Okay. Now we need to–”

“Hey, it’s you guys!”

When they see a boy with silver hair and teeth that look like a shark’s, Sakura mentally chastises herself for not paying more attention. “W-We were followed?”

“Ahh!” Naruto shouts, pointing an accusing finger at the newcomer. “Th-The guy with the sword! He turned into a midget!”

Come to think of it, the boy _does_ look quite a bit shorter than the swordsman that had attacked them earlier. Younger, too – his face is rounder, his posture a lot more relaxed. His voice is higher pitched, more grating to the ears than the smooth, polite tone Mangetsu employed.

The boy crosses his arms and frowns. “Hey! Who’re you callin’ a midget?”

But there’s no killing intent coming from the boy – nothing to suggest that he means them any harm. And yet…

“Can we help you?” Kakashi asks, deceptively polite.

“Yep!” the boy answers cheerfully. “I think. Maybe. Mei-chan said she needed help, and Brother said you’re really strong.”

“Mei-chan…?” Kakashi echoes slowly.

“Brother…?” Sasuke echoes even more faintly.

“Yeah!” the boy enthuses. “So let’s go!” He grabs Kakashi’s and Sasuke’s wrists and begins pulling them away.

“H-Hey, wait a minute!” Sakura tries to protest.

* * *

The small shack at the center of the shopping district in Wave Country is splintering and falling apart, but it’s enough for the time being – if things go well, they won’t be here for long.

Mei Terumi purses her lips as she runs her fingers delicately over the letter on her lap. _“If there’s one thing I know,”_ the letter reads, _“it’s that you absolutely need to do this: first, you need to disband the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Then, all of you need to get the fuck out of Kirigakure, before Yagura screws you over. Get out of Kirigakure, and take me with you.”_

“Mangetsu,” she says with an almost idle tone, “can you believe it’s been a whole year already?” _Since we left the village_ goes unsaid.

Her knight shifts into a slightly more relaxed position. His hand is still wrapped tightly around the hilt of Hiramekarei, and his mouth is still curved into an almost-frown. The bandages wrapped tightly around his arm are stained red, and Mei sighs. She hadn’t meant for him to get hurt when she’d asked him to join Gato’s ranks.

On her other side, Chojuro fidgets. He doesn’t say a word, but she can hear him all the same. Briefly, she wonders if it would have been so terrible to send him out with Suigetsu, instead of making him stay in the shelter.

“Mangetsu,” she says a little more sharply. “Do you think we might be walking into a trap?”

He gives her that same strained, bitter smile that seems to have become his semi-permanent expression as of late. “It’s not like Yagura to be this subtle.”

“That’s true,” Mei replies with a small laugh. “But aside from Yagura…”

“Even if there is someone else,” Mangetsu says slowly, “I can’t just ignore that this letter could be genuine. If Suigetsu’s suffering as much as it sounds like he is, then I have to…” Hiramekarei shrinks, and then swells to twice the size it was just moments ago.

Mei rests her hand on his shoulder and squeezes. He doesn’t quite relax from the gesture, but some of the tension in his shoulders does disappear. “Even if you can’t,” she says quietly so that Chojuro can’t hear, “I’ll keep him safe.”

Mangetsu bows his head, smiling weakly. “With all due respect, I hope it never comes to that.”

Mei smiles. “I couldn’t agree more.”

There’s the sound of metal clinking as Chojuro suddenly assumes a fighting stance. “Someone’s coming,” he says, his voice shaking even as he tries to appear strong.

“It’s probably just Suigetsu,” Mangetsu tells him.

“It _is_ Suigetsu,” Chojuro replies, “and four others.”

Mei raises her eyebrows delicately. “Oh, that doesn’t sound good.”

Hiramekarei grows to the point where Mangetsu has to hold it with both hands. When the doorknob turns, he takes a quick swig from his water bottle.

“Mei-chan, I brought help!” Suigetsu says cheerfully when he opens the door. The four people following him are clearly ninja, though they’re not wearing their forehead protectors or carrying any weapons. Three of them can’t be older than Suigetsu, while the fourth looks to be about Mangetsu’s age.

Mangetsu grips his sword tightly. “Hatake-san, you–”

Mei lays her hand on his shoulder again, less comforting and more firm. “It wouldn’t bode well for us to fight here,” she says with forced calm. 

The three children – two boys and a girl – move to hide behind the older man. Hatake frowns and clenches his fists

Mangetsu sighs harshly and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Suigetsu, why did you bring them here?” he asks, much less calm.

“Mei-chan said she needed help!” his brother insists. 

Mei raises her eyebrows. “I don’t recall this, Suigetsu. Maybe you could refresh my memory?”

Suigetsu puffs his cheeks in irritation. “You totally did! You said that getting help from outside would make things a lot easier!” He gesticulates wildly toward the people he brought to the shelter. “And _they’re_ outside help!”

Despite herself, Mei laughs. “I did say that, didn’t I?”

“Suigetsu…” Chojuro moans. “She didn’t mean that you should go and _find_ people!”

“It’s all right, Chojuro,” Mei says. “That was my mistake. I should have been more clear.” She looks to the ninja that Suigetsu brought with him and smiles at them as pleasantly as she can. “You can drop your guard here,” she says even though it won’t convince them to do so. “We mean you no harm.”

“With all due respect, I have a hard time believing that,” says Hatake, his eyes drifting over to Mangetsu.

The pink-haired girl behind him clasps her hands together, turning toward Mangetsu but refusing to look into his eyes. “Y-You said before that… Gato’s eyes were everywhere,” she mumbles. “Are Gato’s eyes _here_?”

Mangetsu’s mouth falls open, and his face pales visibly. “No,” Mei answers for him. “Gato’s eyes are not here.” 

“So they can help us, right?” Suigetsu asks, practically bouncing. Chojuro opens his mouth as if he wants to say something – call him an idiot, perhaps – but then he closes his mouth and simply shakes his head.

“Only if they want to,” Mei answers. She stands and smooths out her dress. Hatake stiffens, and his hands are still clenched. “Well, I suppose introductions are in order.”

Chojuro moves to hide behind her. Mangetsu’s grip tightens around Hiramekarei. Suigetsu grins.

“My name is Mei Terumi, and I’m the Fifth Mizukage.”


End file.
